We, the Shadows
by Fox the Foxy
Summary: Sparkpaw wants the truth. Dustpaw wants acceptance. Amberpaw wants to walk StarClan's path. But when the one cat they thought was their friend betrays them, and they are exiled from the forest, they find that the only real thing they want is survival.
1. Prologue

**A/N: **XD First fanfic, read and review, an' all that boring stuffs that we say.

**We, the Shadows**

Prologue

As the sun's pale, refreshingly warm gleam filtered through the ceiling of the nursery and golden dustmotes danced in the air, Honeypelt gave a contented little breath. Her sweet sigh was carried on the winds, and it seemed to flourish around her, flutter like little butterflies of hope and love that filled her heart with warmth.

That was how perfect her life was; she had experienced poverty as an apprentice, as a confused little she-cat with no hope in her life, only a dark tunnel. Prey, even a mouthful, was scarce, and her beloved mentor had taken her last breath when she was near the happiest ceremony of her life that she was positive she'd experience. Honeypelt, then, had been so lost, so scared…

But after every leaf-bare, there is a warm, cheering, strengthening newleaf, and after Dustedfur had come her way, she had realized that he was the one who would pull her from the darkest shadows that she had fallen into, and couldn't rise from. He repaired her broken wings; he gave her a pair of stronger legs to walk on; he promised her love and hope.

Moon and moons ago, that had been; now, she was a warrior, no, a queen; the mate of Dustedfur, her devoted young savior. Her pale, wispy blue eyes glowed softly; she tenderly nosed the three tiny bundles of fur that rested quietly at her milk-swollen belly. The eldest kitten opened its mouth in a protesting squeak of offense—after all, his peaceful snooze had been interrupted—but he peacefully settled into his mother's soft ginger fur and slept quietly between his younger siblings.

Honeypelt smiled to herself and began to quietly, gently groom her three precious kits. Her ears swerved, and the ginger-coated queen caught the awkward footsteps of an approaching cat. Her head snapped up, and her pale blue eyes narrowed when she spied the hinted silhouette. She relaxed visibly when the dusty beam of gold light caught his handsome brown tabby face, and she smiled kindly.

Dustedfur slid next to her still very slim, curvaceous orange body. His amber eyes gleamed and he buried his face into the thick ginger of her neck fur. Dustedfur's eyes rested on his three children; his eyes began to light with love and satisfaction, clouding the expressionless look that had been there before. Honeypelt mewed to him in a loving voice, "Oh, Dustedfur. We couldn't have lives more perfect." To her astonishment, she felt him shift from her body, the warmth from his dark fur withdrawn. She glancecd up, surprise glowing in her light blue eyes, and she caught the shadow of worry in the yellow depths across from her.

_Something is wrong… very wrong._

"Dustedfur? What's the matter?" She mewled quietly; the shadow of foreboding crossing her deep blue eyes.

The dark brown warrior shook his head softly, and the touch of a smile hit his muzzle. _She's too fragile for me too do this too. I have to be careful. I wouldn't want to upset her…_ Dustedfur's muscular frame pressed against the ginger flank again, and he sighed softly.

"I'm sorry, love. It's just… well, we just returned from the Gathering… and, now… WindClan are planning on a battle tonight. He's threatened to come into our camp, and all of ThunderClan are organizing our plan," he blurted rather untactfully.

Honeypelt's first reaction was to shield her kits with her tail and her hindleg, and her second was to cry out in fear and dismay, "What? Why haven't I heard of this?"

The brown warrior was about to reply when there was a scuffling sound in the back of the nursery. A small, drowsy-eyed she-cat with a black and white pelt meowed sleepily, "What's going on?"

The queen's belly was bulging with unborn kits, and Honeypelt shook her head in despair. Shadetail was her best friend, and so close to giving birth, the news was terrible, and it would cause her to have emotional distraught. She sighed, willing herself to be calm, and she mewed in a tight voice, "Nothing. Dustedfur just came to tell me something about the Gathering."

Shadetail's head tilted, but she said nothing, only nodded with a look of pure skepticism on her pretty smudged features. She shrugged and lie down beside Honeypelt, yawning. "The kits have been keeping me awake all night, and I love it. I just can't wait to have adorable little babies like yours." Shadetail eyed Honeypelt's kits covetously before rolling over on her back and pawing the ginger queen playfully.

Dustedfur shook his head, a confused look crossing his face. He shrugged and quickly made for the opening of the nursery, his ears laid back against his dark tabby head. Shadetail's eyebrows lifted, and she meowed questioningly, "What, does he have a furball stuck somewhere?"

Honeypelt's eyes moved from her searching yellow gaze as swiftly as possible. She coughed gently and glanced at the roof of the den. Shadetail followed her eyes suspiciously, but shrugged it off and meowed, "So, have you decided what to name your kits yet?"

Now, this was something Honeypelt could speak about with her soon-to-be mother friend. She smiled and gently nosed the eldest tom. "Well, I'm thinking that my eldest kit, could be Spark-kit. My little middle one, he can be Dustkit, after his father. And, my little daughter…" she observed the kit's colorings before she mewed, "Amberkit." Shadetail's eyes glimmered with adoration for the beautiful kits; they were exactly like their parents.

The black and white queen sighed and mewed, "Nightfoot has been driving me absolutely crazy. Prodding, pushing…but out of complete love." Honeypelt smiled; Nightfoot was Shadetail's mate and the father of her unborn kits.

The ginger queen was about to reply to the black and white she-cat's question when there was a fierce rumbling outside. Her blue eyes switched to the nursery entrance, and she leaped to her paws immediately. Cats swarmed alongside each other outside, and blood was thick in the air. She heard various yowls from many warriors, and some of them were from ShadowClan. Her heart was pierced with a cold thorn; she was taken aback. "ShadowClan has attacked!" She cried, turning towards Shadetail.

Her heart twisted with fear and Shadetail struggled to her paws, eyes glazed with icy claws of agonized terror. Honeypelt realized with a start that the black queen was kitting, and she fell to the ground in a heap of mottled fur. With a caterwaul the ginger she-cat rushed to her side, the little kits in a huddle, whimpering because of the commotion.

Her tail raised, Honeypelt began to cleanse the blood from Shadetail's tail, and she whispered soothing words to her. She whimpered, but dared not make a sound, lest ShadowClan break into the nursery. The first kit was on its way, and both queens began to let out a breath of relief, when a claw smashed through the roof of the nursery. Honeypelt's blue eyes stretched wide with fear and Shadetail's yellow gaze grew cloudy with terror.

A massive tabby tom hurled himself into the nursery, his eyes on the kits. Honeypelt wasted no time; she gave a fierce caterwaul and launched herself into the tabby's scarred hide. Shadetail gave a thin gasp, and Honeypelt knew she had kitted safely. The young queen's claws flashed out, and they gleamed red after slicing into the tabby's face. Howling his anger, his paw fished into her throat, and the second she felt a sharp pain in her neck, she went limp with death.

Shadetail just lie there, shivering, a single kit suckling at her side, while she ushered the other kits to her belly for them to suckle. The tabby tom eyed her triumphantly, but made no move to attack her. He sat down, eyes flickering, and Shadetail realized he wasn't leaving. She ignored him completely, her eyes trained on the beautiful ginger coat that was now bloodstained and dusty. Her eyes misted over with unshed tears; "Honeypelt," she murmured sorrowfully, glancing at her three children, so precious… "I'll raise your little kits. Spark-kit, Dustkit, and Amberkit will grow always knowing their mother was a brave queen that…"

A slinking shadow that was black as night slid next to the ShadowClan tabby. They communicated in low tones, and Shadetail's entire frame froze. The wicked dark warrior grinned and mewed in a voice sweeter than honey, "Welcome to ShadowClan, foxdung." The queen laid her head on her white paws, and began to sob savagely. The last word she heard the tabby cat mutter was, "_prisoner…_"


	2. Chapter I: Enigma

**A/N: **Thank you, Iceth and Raven! (huggles) I'm so glad you reviewed! I'll get around to reviewing your own fics in a bit. For now I've got to concentrate on mine, though…

**We, the Shadows**

Chapter I

_Enigma_

A cold wind buffeted the fur on the tabby tom's coat; his green eyes glowed ferociously, as if deciding to ignore the fact that the strong gale, with the coming, splashing cold rain, would drive him back. He _had _to know what was driving him instinctively; it was nothing he could explain. StarClan was guiding his pawsteps.

He recalled the warning words of his mother, for she loved to warn them; _Sparkpaw, don't you think about going out into that storm! You've heard Fishpelt say it herself—it's much too dangerous!_

He had heard her, alright; she was always much too overprotective of him and his three siblings. He had always asked her why Heartpaw was the only one with her colorings, and she'd told him nervously that he, Dustpaw, and Amberpaw had gotten their fur from her parents. His mother, Shadetail, had a black and white coat and fearful blue eyes, while Heartpaw looked exactly like her, although she was jolly, happy, excited.

Thinking of his siblings and mother, he felt the tip of something sharp scorch his nose, and he gasped sharply, a forepaw reaching to the tip of his injured nose gingerly. _Fox dung! _He swore inwardly, sighing and trudging forward again, this time closely watching the path for offending objects.

He had snuck out of camp, hoping that no one had seen him, and he hoped it had worked. The leader, Shatteredstar, the deputy, Twistingwind, and the medicine cat, Fishpelt, would be the first to know, but it appeared as thought he had escaped without any of them knowing. Of course, there was still Shadetail…

Not thinking. He was getting it.

A gust of icy breath hit him sharply in the face; his footing became awkward, and he slipped on the mud. In an attempt to escape being knocked down, he'd leapt forward. The hill slanted downward, now…

A muddy shape hurtled down a path of rocks, thorns, and rainwater. He almost choked on the thick, silvery drown that drenched him from ears to tail. Yowling with fright, he felt a sharp, burning pain all over him. His green eyes fluttered beneath pale lids; he glanced around, seeing only darkness, before dreamwaves rescued him from the deadening pain.

xxx

"_Sparkpaw!"_

_The voice… it was deep, and yet feminine… young, energetic, but urgent. The young ShadowClan apprentice was good at reading voices; he didn't recognize this one, though. He looked up, feeling his limbs stretch, and he rose, feeling like a new cat._

_The place he was in was so different; it was still moonrise, with a sky of deep violet and blazing, bright white stars that glittered coolly in the midst of Silverpelt. But… here, they seemed so close…_

_He glanced back down again, observing his surroundings. Leafy bushes engulfed him; scent of prey caught his attention, and he tensed, by instinct, if not by hunger. His green eyes squinted slightly, and he caught the silver sheen of a small, clear pool of water. Feeling no thirst, but a strong curiosity, he put his limbs into a fast slope, reaching the banks of the pool. In it, he saw an exact reflection; and he gasped in awe._

_A handsome young apprentice stood, a kitten, with a sleek ginger coat that shone with starry illumination and had big, green eyes. He tilted his head, wondering why he wasn't covered in thorns, mud, and wasn't drenched to the bone. Sparkpaw couldn't help but admire his big, strong, tough body, and his round eyes that glowed with leaf-colored starlight._

"_Sparkpaw."_

_His ears pricked, and the fur along his back stiffened; he half-turned, directing his attention from the water to the place around him. Nothing was there, except for, of course, himself. He blinked, and turned back to the water; only to draw in a sharp gasp. A cat with a trim figure, broad muscles, and amber eyes stood there. He was fully grown with a pelt of dark tabby fur and amber eyes, and, if he didn't know any better, Sparkpaw could have sworn he was looking at Dustpaw, his brother. However, Dustpaw's eyes were blue, and he had a dusted white muzzle that faded pale ginger around the edges. This cat was a solid brown tabby with a great maturity._

"_Who… who are you?" He gasped to his reflection, who, right now, wasn't his reflection at all. The tabby warrior tilted his head swiftly. His amber eyes twinkled, as me meowed,_

"_I am you."_

_Sparkpaw felt anger and confusion burn within him; he struck his paw into the water, into the reflection, until it rippled a bit, and a ginger she-cat with blue eyes gazed back at him with loving eyes. He tilted his head, ears flattening against his head. The ginger queen's loving look turned into one of solemn grief. He cried out, "Who are you? I've never seen you in ShadowClan. Where am I?"_

_The she-cat said nothing, only began to fade, and Sparkpaw yowled, "Wait, don't leave me here!" Leaping into the water without a second thought, his consciousness was regained._

xxx

"Hey, mousebrain!"

Ginger lids flickered, and green replaced the former. Haziness clouded his jade gaze; he felt stiff, and beneath that, hot, fiery red pain burned. Sparkpaw's vision became more focused, and he found himself watching a slim she-cat with a silver pelt and dark green eyes. She shook her head distastefully, but amusement flickered in her eyes.

"Okay, Sparkpaw. You did a very stupid thing yesterday. For punishment, you have to train today."

Shifting, but feeling agony burn into his flesh, he gasped, "What happened?"

Fishpelt, the medicine cat, stretched, and she meowed curtly, "You took a trip in the rainstorm and then took a tumble into a puddle of mud and a patch of nettles. Leaf-fall is approaching, so the nettles were sharp and ripe. Just right for prickling senseless apprentices. In a few moments, Spottedstorm will be here for your training."

Groaning, Sparkpaw hissed frustration, and straightened himself up, still feeling nettle stings. _How could I be so stupid? _He hissed to himself, feeling irritated. He did recall some of his dream—of the secret place, with the brown tabby and the ginger queen—but he decided it was just that, a dream. A crazy one, nonetheless.

He heard the ferns to the entrance of Fishpelt's den shuffle, and a small shape outlined in golden sunlight that defined her features coolly appeared. Sparkling amber eyes and a smooth, pale coat gave Sparkpaw the slight knowledge that it was Amberpaw, his sister, and the medicine cat apprentice. He mewed a weak greeting to her.

She slid closer in, tilting her head, eyes narrowing questionably. "Why did you do that? I mean, Shadetail nearly died of fright, anger, and fright again." She twitched the tip of her ginger tail and narrowed her amber eyes.

Suddenly, Amberpaw brightened, and, smiling sweetly, she mewed, "Oh, here comes Spottedstorm." Sparkpaw groaned again and struggled to his paws, wondering how he could ever explain his insolence, or even his dreams and reasons why he'd left camp in a fierce storm last night. A tortoiseshell head poked through, staring through menacing eyes, and Spottedstorm's rough voice snapped, "Get out here, idiot. You're training harder than you've ever trained today."

Sparkpaw's moans, grunts, and growls were heard as he heaved himself up to his paws, and slowly, steadily, padded out into the camp, with Spottedstorm's icy gaze fixed on his hatefully. Why, he wished he knew.

It seemed everyone in ShadowClan looked at him like that.

He wondered why.

And he would find out.


End file.
